Monday, September 30, 2013

Yes, many workers are sktill not receiving minimum wages .... but the Cost of Living is rising. The recent move to increase the cost of RON95(petrol) and diesel has again increased the cost of living

The minimum wage was made known more than a year ago, and employers should have done the needful - there is no real justification to delay minimum wages for workers..

The REAL question is how many workers have been affected? What are the below minimum wage wages are they earning now? Are workers earning RM400 per month? RM500? RM600? RM700? or less? - how many workers - give us the statistics. The government must reveal this - and really, these workers and their families must be given financial assistance to help them cope with rising cost of living...

To the original question from Wan Hasan Mohd
Ramli (PAS-Dungun), Ismail said the government would allow SMEs to have
discussions with employees before restructuring their salaries and
allowances.

Without a trade union negotiating for worker/employees, any negotiations will be lop-sided in favour of the employer, and workers will have no choice but to accept what the employer says...or tells them to sign as the worry(risk) of termination and loss of employment is very real, more so when many workers in Malaysia do not even enjoy the right to regular employment until retirement... and also because the access to justice system for workers does not dish out real justice, and is really too slow..

In places where there are no trade unions, MTUC or the relevant National/Regional Trade Union should be included in these negotiations between employers and employees... this will help prevent workers being 'cheated' of their rights.

One you sign...you lose your rights. And the rights that you may lose are rights to certain allowances (like shift allowances, etc), guaranteed bonus, etc. In some cases, employers may also increase working hours, say from 8 hours per day to 10 hours, and this means workers will lose 2 hours that they would have previously been paid overtime rates...

In fact, Labour (or HRD Officers) from the relevant Ministry should be present to ensure poor workers from being cheated... Maybe, any variation of the employment agreement in connection with the Minimum Wage must maybe be approved by the Labour Courts. Workers need to be protected...

PARLIAMENTAbout 600,000 Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) have been given
permission to postpone the minimum wage implementation until December,
said Deputy Human Resources Minister Ismail Abd Mutallib.

The
employers need more time to restructure operations and cut down losses
before starting the minimum wage implementation, he said when responding
to a supplementary question from Tiong King Sing (BN-Bintulu) at the
Dewan Rakyat today.

To the original question from Wan Hasan Mohd
Ramli (PAS-Dungun), Ismail said the government would allow SMEs to have
discussions with employees before restructuring their salaries and
allowances.

For SMEs that hire foreign workers, he said levy
payment would be paid by foreign workers themselves while employers were
allowed to deduct up to RM50 from salaries for housing facilities.

He
said an impact study on the minimum wage implementation was being
conducted involving employers which had put the scheme into effect.

Ismail
said 1,001 out of 1,239 complaints on the minimum wage implementation
had been resolved through negotiation among employers, employees and
government.On another note, Ismail said the Performance
Management and Delivery Unit (Pemandu) would be holding a workshop next
month to formulate incentives to enhance SME productivity and
competitiveness as well to reduce dependence on foreign workers.

Sunday, September 29, 2013

1- We are against Detention Without Trial laws - i.e. laws that allow a person to be detained without being first charged, tried and convicted by court.

2- Remember all persons are presumed INNOCENT until proven guilty - this is basic.

3- Who is the criminal? The person the police say is a criminal? The person who the Minister say is a criminal? The person who some Board say is a criminal? NOPE - it is when an independent court after considering the evidence tendered by the prosecution, heard the 'accused person' decides that a person is guilty, and convicts him - then he is a Criminal. Then, the Court sentences the convicted person, who of course still can appeal to higher courts.

4. The solution is to IMPROVE the police/prosecution skills and eliminate corruption - not just lock away all persons the police say is a 'Criminal'.

5. We also need to restore the credibility of the police. After all the police lost their credibility when they denied causing Anwar's black eye - and later the truth was that it was a police officer who did it. In my eyes, the police have lost all credibility...so has the prosecution - and I will want to ensure that everyone gets a fair trial before he is convicted and sentenced to jail - deprived of liberty.

5. Why are so many of these 'criminals' out there? Besides, police/prosecutions inefficiency - there may also be corruption. Paul Low should be looking at this, improving the police skills and credibility - maybe not enough police investigators...Investigate why prosecution FAILED to call material witness which resulted in accused persons getting off scot free.See earlier post:- So, who killed Altantuya? - Is it just a case of prosecution incompetence or what?

6. Nancy, we all know remand is allowed in law, i.e. a period after arrest to enable the police to investigate - but this is 14 days maximum.Detention without trial is not remand. We are not talking about amending the law to increase the remand period, are we?

7. Paul Low was reported saying that the rights of civil society were far more important than that of criminals - WRONG. Rights of all persons are equally important and here we are not talking about 'criminals' but persons who are suspects. Now, the rights of the suspect or the accussed person is, I believe more important, for they are charged with an offence which if found guilty may result in loss of liberty (imprisonment), corporal punishment (whipping) and even death (by hanging) - and we certainly do not want to make a mistake and do this to a person that may be innocent - so all the more important to ensure that all their rights are protected including the right to a fair trial.

Detention
without trial under the proposed amendment of the Prevention of Crime
Act is similar to the remand practice in developed countries like the
United Kingdom and the United States.

Minister in the Prime
Minister's Department in charge of law Nancy Shukri, who said this,
pointed out that countries that people always look up to had also
carried out similar exercises.

"This
(detention without trial) is to give time to the police to collect
evidence before charging the offenders," she said while delivering her
speech at a forum in Putrajaya today.

"Many like it when we talk about matters related to the orang putih (Caucasians).

"This
(detention without trial) is to give time to the police to collect
evidence before charging the offenders," she said while delivering her
speech at a forum in Putrajaya today.

"About the word detention
without trial, why don’t we get used to it by saying it is remand. In
foreign countries, after they arrest a suspect, they do what? They
remand him as well.

She said some commented that the government should not detain the suspect, but instead, charge the person in court.

"It
is easier said than done (in the opinions of those in) NGOs and media,
because those who are shouldering the burden are the police," added
Shukri, who had once opposed detention without trial when she was an
activist prior to joining the cabinet.

She opined that the PCA is the best solution to combat crime for this moment.

"We won't care about those having adverse comments. Never mind," she said.

He said the rights of civil society were far more important than that of criminals."I
know many (are) against detention law, but I think we have to send a
strong message to criminals...jangan main main (don't play a fool with
us)," he stressed.

"If you main main, we have this law to detain you. If you threaten our witness, we have a law to detain you.Emphasing
the seriousness, Low said that organised crime was more than just
gangsterism, that it included money laundering, smuggling, kidnapping,
extortion and others.

Even after 2 Detention Without Trial Laws were repealed, there remained one more - the Dangerous Drugs (Special Preventive Measures) Act, and now they want to bring a NEW Detention Without Trial Laws.

As it is many in Malaysia, even before they are charged in court end up in 'Detention Without Trial' situations, deprived of their liberty. I know of a person who was arrested in connection of a 'curi baja' kes, and he was not a free man until he was charged and the court released him on bail almost a year later - this is so wrong.After the permissible period of detention after arrest ;apses (or nearly lapses), they hand you over to another police station to be 'arrested and detained' for investigation under another charge ...and so on - occasionally the resorted to EO (now repealed) for some days.. There really must be a law that provides victims COMPENSATION for their loss of liberty - when finally they are proven not guilty....yes, innocent.

Anyway, the introduction of this proposed new DETENTION WITHOUT TRIAL law is unacceptable and must be opposed. [But sadly, many 'do not bother' until one day they or their family member/friend fall victim - so this really is the concern of all Malaysians, and we must OPPOSE laws that allow police to detain people without having to proof the guilt of the person in an open court before an independent Judge, and more importantly giving the accused the right to DEFEND themselves.

The Malaysian Human Rights Commission (SUHAKAM) issued a statement which is pasted below...

HUMAN RIGHTS PRINCIPLES MUST BE REFLECTED IN THE PREVENTION OF CRIME (AMENDMENT AND EXTENSION) BILL 2013

While reiterating its support for the Government’s continued effort to tackle serious crimes in the country, the Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (SUHAKAM) expresses its concern over the Government’s proposed amendments to the Prevention of Crime Act (“PCA”) 1959 as reflected in the Prevention of Crime (Amendment and Extension) Bill 2013 which was tabled in the Dewan Rakyat for first reading on 25 September 2013.

Having studied the Bill, the Commission opines that some of its provisions, and in particular those relating to detention without trial and legal representation, are inconsistent with fundamental human rights principles as enshrined in the Federal Constitution and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR).

While it is noted that the Bill proposes an amendment to Section 9(1) making it a requirement for inquiry reports to be submitted to the Prevention of Crime Board (Board) instead of the Minister, the Commission views seriously the proposed Sections 9(5) and 9A(2) that deprive the right of a person to legal representation as guaranteed by Article 5(3) of the Federal Constitution and Article 7 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR).

The Commission is also concerned with the proposed Section 7C which empowers the Board to issue a detention order against a person who has committed two or more serious offences,whether or not he has been convicted, and merely on the sufficiency of evidence. The Commission is of the view that this provision violates a person’s right to a fair trial and protection against repeated trials as well as the rights to equality before the law and to be considered innocent until proven guilty, as stipulated under Articles 7(2) and 8(1) of the Federal Constitution, respectively.

The Commission also expresses its dismay over the proposed Section 15A which prevents judicial review of the Board’s decision except on procedural matters thereby denying the right of the an aggrieved individual to access to a court of law with all the guarantees necessary for his defence.

In the Government's efforts to combat crime, it is important to ensure that laws that are enacted are progressive and not retrogressive in character, mindful of Malaysia's position as a sitting member of the United Nations Human Rights Council that requires it to uphold the highest standards in the promotion and protection of human rights in the country. The Commission therefore deems it important for the Government to defer the second tabling of the Bill and to conduct a review of the proposed amendments by taking into account the following fundamental human rights principles:

• That the detention must not be made arbitrarily;• That the detention must be based upon grounds and procedures established by law;• That information of the grounds for detention must be given; and• That the right to fair trial and access to legal representation must be granted.

The Commission holds the view that consistent with the Government's stated aim of moving the country forward to attaining the status of a developed nation in the near future, it is imperative for Malaysia to demonstrate its full compliance with international human rights norms and to ensure meaningful engagement with various stakeholders in its law review and policy planning processes to which the Government has committed itself.

Wednesday, September 25, 2013

Automated Enforcement System (AES)

1. It was wrong to privatize the AES systems to 2 private companies, and now the Malaysian government does not want to be transparent and disclose the said agreements in reliance of the Official Secrets Act - unacceptable.

2. The government said that they would be taking over this AES - but now we see that it is not the government but a COMPANY (although now wholly owned by the government - but later we do not know..)

3. How much COMPENSATION would the government have to pay the original 2 companies when they break the agreement and take over the entire project which was projected to earn billions of ringgit in the 5 years. Looks like the Rakyat will again pay for the government blunder. I wonder whether there is a clause limiting the compensation in the event the government pre-maturely breaks the contract...or is there some formula in the agreement - we will not know until the government is transparent and disclose the said agreements.

4. The whole AES is about law enforcement - and this should ALWAYS be with the government. Enforcement with regard to traffic offences including 'speeding' must be done by the police or alternatively Transport Ministry officers(like JPJ).

5. If someone is caught 'speeding' then naturally they have the right to plead not guilty and claim trial. Now, who is going to prosecute - some private company officer?

6. It may be OK for the government to employ a private company to install the AES, and maybe even maintain - but certainly not for the purpose of enforcing the law, issuing summons, collecting FINES - which now is being called PROFITS or earnings. Enforcement, issuing summons and prosecution must always be with the Government - likewise the imposition and collection of fines...

7. Remember the TPPA - well if we sign, we may find that one day it will be a foreign company who is catching Malaysians for traffic offences, issuing summons and profiting from the collection of fines... OR is Malaysia going to say that this is an exception and it can only be 100% owned Malaysian company, or 100% owned by the government?

8. A private company is a private company irrespective of whether it is owned by the government - and that is why the business of creating laws and law enforcement must always be with the government.

9. The New Straits Times heading "Govt assures transparency in AES take over" is misleading. Why? (1) The government is not taking over the AES - a Company is taking over the AES from 2 other companies. Wholly-owned by the government does not make it a government department/agency but still a company. (2) What transparency when the it is an 'official secret'? The appointed of an independent audit company to figure out how much compensation to be paid to the original 2 companies is not 'transparency', maybe a commitment to good governance - but which audit company? Would there be an open tender before the 'independent audit company' is chosen? Why only ONE - maybe we need 3? Will be informed about what was done and the results?

10. It was disgraceful hearing the Deputy Transport Minister Datuk Abdul Aziz Kaprawi say that the rate would be increased based on the principle of "the more you delay, the more you pay" - that is totally wrong. He must be interested in the right to a fair trial and assure that no action would be taken until his right to trial/appeal is exhausted, and that the courts will decide on the sentence.

11. How is it going to increase? Well, with regards to judgment sum, delay in payment would require the payment of interest at the rate of 8% per annum from the date of judgment. Likewise, until and after the alleged offender has admitted guilt or found guilty, that fine of RM150 should not be increasing - unless you are saying that once the AES catches you, you are guilty and that is that..no right to a fair trial.

12. Suspension/revocation of license for repeat offenders should be only a sentence that the courts can give.

13. Reducing the proposed 'fine' to RM150, or reducing the number of cameras is not going to make the thinking man satisfied and happy.

** I was fortunate to catch the live broadcast when this question about AES was brought up in Parliament today, and the above opinion is based on what I saw and heard.

Govt assures transparency in AES take over

KUALA LUMPUR: The government has assured transparency in taking over the operation of the Automated Enforcement System (AES).

Deputy Transport Minister Datuk Abdul Aziz Kaprawi said an independent
audit firm had been appointed to ensure the payment was fair and
reasonable.

"The total number of cameras installed has also been reduced to 310, as
compared to about 800 proposed earlier as the company taking over is
not profit-oriented," he said in reply to a supplementary question by
Datuk Mahfuz Omar (PAS-Pokok Sena) at the Dewan Rakyat here today.

Mahfuz had asked the government to give details of the agreement in the
takeover of the operation of the two companies which managed AES
earlier, namely ATES Sdn Bhd and Beta Tegap Sdn Bhd, by a
government-owned company, AES Solutions Sdn Bhd.

Abdul Aziz said no further clarification could be given on the takeover as it was subjected to the Official Secrets Act 1972.

Earlier, when answering a question from Datuk Abdul Azeez Abdul Rahim
(BN-Baling) pertaining to a holistic operation and AES enforcement,
Abdul Aziz said that effective Sept 18, the starting compound rate was
RM150, depending on the level of seriousness of the offences committed.

It
is so wrong to brand them as 'criminals', and this is something the
police, media and government must realise.
Every person is innocent until proven guilty - and it is not uncommon
for the Malaysia to justify the killings by claiming that all those who
were shot dead are criminals. In fact all that the police can say is
that they are 'suspects' - nothing more.

It
is a great injustice to allege or call a shot dead by police victim a
CRIMINAL - knowing that the dead cannot defend themselves. So, please
stop this.

There is also to date no independent inquiry on all these shooting incidents ...and there have been some allegations that these police actions were unjustified, if not against the law.

The police shot dead a total of 124 criminals from 2009 to August this year, with Malays recording the highest at 56.Home Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said that of the remainder, 41 were Indians, Chinese (23) and the rest non-Malay bumiputras.

Ahmad Zahid
said this in a written reply to a question by Lim Lip Eng (DAP Segambut)
who wanted to know the latest statistics on cases of criminal shootings
and seizure of firearms.

Meanwhile, he also told the Dewan
Rakyat that in the 6P integrated operation from Sept 1 to 16, a total of
4,356 illegal immigrants were detained, with Indonesians making up the
highest number, followed by Myanmar and Bangladesh.

Factory needs workers - workers need work = Direct employment relationship between factory and workers - NO need for the middleman, the contractor for labour

This would certainly be good for businesses - and certainly will cut the cost of doing business, and ensure that Factories(principals), being the one's with work needing workers, will regain full control and supervision of all their workers as employees. This would certainly create a JUST working environment, where there will be no discrimination in terms of wages, treatment and 'relationships at the workplace between principal and their workers'. It also restores direct employment relationship - without having to deal with a third party, the middleman contractor for labour.

Minister
in the Prime Minister's Department Paul Low is training his guns on
middlemen in his crusade against graft in the government sector.

Acknowledging
that corruption exists in all areas, he said middlemen unnecessarily
increased the cost of doing business as they get a cut or commission
while adding no value to the business.

"It's an example of corruption which the government is greatly concerned about," he was quoted as saying by Bernama.

Low
said although the issue was quite complex, the government would
definitely look again at the issue to ensure businesses and the delivery
system were undertaken in a transparent manner.

"The government will holistically look at the issue and act righteously according to the rules and criteria.

"Corruption
has been practised in almost all areas in Malaysia. The construction
sector would be the first the government would tackle.

"This is in line with the government's intention to further improve its monitoring framework for mega projects," he added.

Monitoring of selected projects

Selected
projects valued above RM500 million and considered as high risk in
terms of governance, he said, would be subject to monitoring by a
supervisory team, which would include representatives from the Malaysian
Anti-Corruption Commission and the auditor-general.

"Next, we
will look at the healthcare sector and the town councils," he said,
adding that almost all associations have agreed to participate in
fighting corruption.

Low also urged the public to play their part
by whistleblowing on corrupt practices to the Prime Minister's
Department through the Public Complaints Bureau or to other key
enforcement agencies.

For decades, the ruling coalition had been
struggling to battle the perception of being a corrupt regime and
efforts taken by the administration to tackle graft are often met with
scepticism.

Furthermore, political rivals have also accused the
MACC of being under the thumb of ruling politicians, allegedly dragging
its feet on numerous reports filed against BN leaders.

To enhance
his administration’s image, Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak, who
himself had been accused of corruption, appointed Low as a senator and
minister in charge of integrity following the last general election.

Sunday, September 22, 2013

Well, it looks like Malaysians may not be able to show others in Malaysia videos/DVDs/etc without first submitting it to the Malaysian government to get the Film Censorship Board's approval....

and the case of Lena Hendry's is but the beginning...Remember that this BAD law can be used for everything - all vdo productions including family VDOs, all forms of documentaries and VDO clips (including, I believe all that is already publicly available on the internet), political ceramahs/talks, other non-political ceramah/talks, etc...

Know that usually this law has been used only with regard films screened in the cinemas...wonder whether it is also used to 'pre-approve' all our TV programmes/documentaries/ etc that we see on ASTRO...and RTM...

WOULD THIS NOW NOT LEAD TO A FURTHER EROSION OF DEMOCRATIC SPACE IN MALAYSIA?

I believe that we all have to stand up and oppose this new attempt of this UMNO-led BN government to even further erode our freedom of expression, opinions and views...

Malaysia

Komas activist in court for illegal screening of documentary

BY RITA JONG

September 19, 2013Latest Update: September 19, 2013 07:19 pm

A human rights activist was charged at the magistrate's court in Kuala
Lumpur today with the screening of a documentary, which was not cleared
by the Film Censorship Board, on the alleged atrocities by the Sri
Lankan army during the country's civil war.

Lena Hendry, 28, a Komas programme coordinator, claimed trial to
screening the film "No Fire Zone: The Killing Fields of Sri Lanka" at
the Kuala Lumpur and Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall, Jalan Maharajalela,
at 9pm on July 3, 2013.

She was charged under the Film Censorship Act 2002 and is liable to a
maximum fine of RM30,000 or three years jail, upon conviction.

Magistrate Ashraf Rezal Abdul Manan granted her bail of RM1,000 in one surety and fixed October 21 for mention.

Hendry was arrested with two other coordinators, Anna Har and Arul
Prakash, during a raid by the Home Ministry at the screening of the
documentary on July 8, with Hendry the first to be produced in court.

The documentary is said to cover the war crimes committed by the Sri Lankan government during the civil war in 2009.

Utusan Malaysia, in its report on the raid, had referred to the three
Komas staff as being "suspected supporters of the Liberation Tigers of
Tamil Elam (LTTE) militants".

Tuesday, September 17, 2013

The reading of Malaysia's Prime Minister's speech may make many Malaysians angry for what emerges is a lack of concern for the OTHER Malaysians which do make up a significant number. But, in para 70 at the end, he does say:-

Nevertheless, on
behalf of the Government and from the bottom of my heart, I would like to urge
all quarters, not to misconstrue the Bumiputera economic empowerment measures.
We will implement all these initiatives and strategies without trampling on the
interests of other groups or deny their rights.

It also must be noted that this speech is made when the UMNO (United Malay National Organizations) general elections is just around the corner, and Najib is the President and whether he will still be President is still uncertain.

The way the government went about BR1M - providing of financial assistance to poor Malaysian households and bachelors also was done irrespective of any ethnic/religious/cultural considerations, so really is Najib, UMNO and BN racist in their approach in governing Malaysia or are they not?

Who are Malays seem to be expanding - I has a family friend who was MIC, but oddly the son today is UMNO... what is Malay, and who is Malay is also changing...likewise, who is Bumiputra? Hence analyzing becomes difficult because who was Malay/Bumiputra before and now may not be the same?

"...in fact, a convert is
defined as Malay, even Mamak and Malbari..have been absorbed as Malays..."

What is sad is also the division of Malaysian society into Malays, Muslim Bumiputra and non-Muslim Bumiputra? So, do we also have Muslim non-Bumiputra and non-Muslim non-Bumiputra?

Malays and
Muslim Bumiputras made up 59.7 percent. While, non-Muslim Bumiputras were 7.6
percent of the overall populace.

What are the names of these 9 main ethnic groups that is Malay? I never knew this fact ..

" 6.1
million Bumiputras in 1970, or 56 percent of the populace. The Malays comprised
nine main ethnic groups, Orang Asli were divided into 18 categories, Sabah
Bumiputras had 40 ethnic groups while Sarawak had 60 ethnic groups.

1. God willing,
thanks to Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta’ala because with his consent we are gathered
this morning, at Dewan Agong Tuanku Canselor of Universiti Teknologi MARA's
Main Campus, an institution which symbolises and is a symbolism of the
relentless struggle of the Malays and Bumiputera.

2. First of all, on
behalf of the government, I record the highest appreciation to the people of
Malaysia especially the Malay and Bumiputra comunities who had supported, given
their mandate and trust to Barisan Nasional at the 13th General Election..to
continue the leadership of the nation. What is more overwhelming is, Umno as
the mainstay of Barisan Nasional, had been able to increase its parliamentary
seat from 79 to 88.

Ladies and gentlemen,

3. This proved,
regardless of the obstacle, despite the accusations, the Umno Transformation
Leadership, with the other Barisan National component parties continued to be
strong, continued to be firm and continued to endure efficaciously, as the pick
of the people, for the next five years ...to pursue the agenda of the Malays
and Bumiputera in our beloved homeland.

4. After the last
General Election was concluded, we heard numerous grumblings, countless laments
and dissatisfaction, raised by the Bumiputra communities, on their lot, future
and direction, with their children and grandchildren in the land of our birth.

6.Since the nation
became independent, on Aug 31, 1957, the people had lived in harmony, united,
building the nation. On Sept 16, 1963, Sabah and Sarawak merged with us to form
Malaysia. Thankfully, the unification, brought us a million blessings. Day
after tomorrow, with the grace of god too, we will celebrate the completion of
fifty years, Malaysia's golden jubilee celebration, which, god willing, I will
be attending in the cities of Kuching and Kota Kinabalu.

7. To celebrate the population of the nation, there were 6.1
million Bumiputras in 1970, or 56 percent of the populace. The Malays comprised
nine main ethnic groups, Orang Asli were divided into 18 categories, Sabah
Bumiputras had 40 ethnic groups while Sarawak had 60 ethnic groups.

8. During the 2010 Umno General Assembly, I mentioned that
Jawa is Malay, Bugis is Malay, Banjar is also mentioned as Malay, Minangkabau
is definitely Malay, those of Acheh origin are Malays, in fact, a convert is
defined as Malay, even Mamak and Malbari..have been absorbed as Malays.

9. The 2010 Population and Housing Census, showed Malays and
Muslim Bumiputras made up 59.7 percent. While, non-Muslim Bumiputras were 7.6
percent of the overall populace. Current projections, as of 2012, estimated the
population of Malaysia as 27.4 million people of whom Bumiputras numbered 18.6
million or 67.9 percent.

10. Since Independence, all the Malay and Bumiputra
plannings and economic policies by the Government had been enacted based on the
calculations founded on the composition of the plural communities. In
principle, this had been adopted as a social contract since a long time ago by
the people of Malaysia, as agreed to by the founding fathers of our nation,
protected and articulated in the Federal Constitution through Article 153,
Article 160 (2), Article 161A (6)(a). Also Article 161A (6)(b).

11. Therefore, the Malays and Bumiputras as the core of the
national agenda could not be denied by anybody. Indeed, any matter which is
national in nature, which does not take into account or neglect the agenda of
the Malays and Bumiputras is not fair and just. Ladies and gentlemen,

12. It is important that this must be thoroughly understood
by all quarters that we must always be aware and be careful about the Bumiputra
Agenda being the National Agenda. This is because if the majority Bumiputra
group is not looked after or felt themselves threatened and sidelined, the
country may not achieve peace, stability, and we may not achieve our dream of
becoming a developed nation which is peaceful and prosperous as aspired in
2020.

13. Thereupon, history has proven in the development of the
national economy especially since the New Economic Policy was implemented, not
only Malay and Bumiputra, in fact, all Malaysians shared the bounty from god,
reaping the benefit together, the result of the national economic development.
Clearly, this we had done without taking, or depriving anybody's right but
rightly through the creation of new wealth and generating strong economic
growth.

14. The chronicles of the world had shown how if a
government failed to play its pro-active part in balancing the socioeconomy
fairly, between the haves and have nots, between capitalists and workers,
between land owners and tenants, between white collar workers and blue collar workers,
it would be and is the harbinger of catastrophes.

15. In retrospect, the New Economic Policy, namely, NEP had
been introduced in 1971 by the late Tun Abdul Razak, my father, to tackle the
issue of inter-ethnic socioeconomic imbalances and poverty erradication
following the May 13, 1969 tragedy.

16. That's how the
New Economic Policy was implemented between 1971 and 1990. Since 1965 until
2010, 10 Malaysia plans and three Long Term Plans had been implemented.

17. The National
Development Plan was between 1991 and 2000. Later, there was the National
Vision Policy traversing 2001 to 2010. In the meantime, I also launched the
National Transformation Policy, during the tabling of Budget 2010, as the axial
reinforcement and a catalyst for achieving Vision 2020.

18. Since independence, the government had created numerous
instruments and institutions for the Malays and Bumiputras, among which were
Bank Bumiputera, Tabung Haji, MARA, FELDA, RISDA, FELCRA, UDA, PERNAS, DARA,
JENGKA, KETENGAH and KESEDAR. The third Prime Minister, Tun Hussein Onn on his
part, had set up Permodalan Nasional Berhad and launched Skim Amanah Saham
Nasional.

19. As we also know, the interest of Bumiputra had been
further strengthened by the fourth Prime Minister Tun Dr. Mahathir through the
privatisation policy and Vision 2020, which became the current track on which
the nation is progressing. The fifth Prime Minister, Tun Abdullah had created
corridors to boost regional economic development.

20. Since I took over the administration of the nation, the
government had launched the New Economic Models, which aspired to turn Malaysia
into a developed, high income nation, with balanced growth, witnessing the
Malay and Bumiputra communities on par with other communities with the advent
of a developed nation status in seven years.

21. Furthermore, the New Economic Model introduces an
inclusive development approach based on growth with equity to ensure all
communities in Malaysia obtain benefit from economic development and the
nation's riches.

22. Meanwhile, the 10th Malaysia Plan, starting from 2011 to
2015, is aimed at providing fair opportunities to all Malaysians, regardless of
ethnic groups or geographical position, to be together involved in all economic
activities. This is based on the principle of friendly market, based on need,
transparency and merit. But the meritocracy here meant competition among
Bumiputra.

23. The government had also introduced the Government
Transformation Programme and Economic Transformation Programme to form a
national economic development ecosystem which is strong and resilient. Due to
the implementation of the transformation programme, the national economic
growth had recorded a strong growth in an uncertain global economy. In 2011 and
2012, the rate of growth of the national economy was 5.1 and 5.6, respectively.

24. What I want to
stress here, that is, continuous growth such as this is crucial, because,
firstly, only with growth can we distribute the riches of the nation to all
Malaysians.Ladies and gentlemen,

25. Through a careful and wise economic planning, the
standard of living of Bumiputra have gone up. For example, the Bumiputra
monthly average household income had gone up from RM172 in the 1970s to RM4,457
in 2012 or almost 2,500 percent in 42 years.

26. The Bumiputra poverty rate had gone down from 64.8
percent in the 1970s to 2.2 percent in 2012. The Bumiputra corporate company
equity rate had also gone up from only 2.4 percent in the 1970s to 23.5 percent
in 2011.

27. Furthermore, except for several specific employment
sectors, the number of Bumiputra employed in the professional category,
especially those qualified as medical doctors, engineers and lawyers had
approached the percentages of the racial composition.28. This proved the New Economic Policy, as
a preliminary measure had been successful in tackling the gap between the
communities in the effort to develop the socioeconomy of the Bumiputra
community. Clearly, during the last four decades, the Bumiputra community had
entered the first phase of the transformation.

29, Nevertheless, the government is aware that there still
exists the disparity in income between the ethnic groups. For example, in 2011,
the average monthly income of the Chinese was higher than Bumiputra by a ratio
of 1:43.

30. In the context of corporate company equity ownership, we
have yet to achieve a target of at least 30 percent. Our effective control on
corporate companies currently is only around 10 percent. The government also
understands that the involvement of the Bumiputra communities in
entrepreneurship activities is still insignificant and the majority is at the
small and micro levels.

31, As such, Ladies and Gentlemen, on the support given by
Malays and Bumiputra at the 13th General Election recently, today the
government decides to make a big shift to implement concrete and total
strategies and approaches.

32. This meaningful and historical meeting, we name the
Bumiputra Economic Empowerment Council. All these, we undertake, to look after
the lot of the Malay and Bumiputra communities, since the past, presently and
forever. The Empowerment of the Bumiputera Economy focuses on five major
strategies.

Ladies and Gentlemen,The Focus of the First Empowerment :ENABLE BUMIPUTRA HUMAN CAPITAL

33. As we understand, human capital is the most important
aspect in developing a community. The government, in truth, had been successful
in emplacing Bumiputra students in local and foreign public institutions of
higher learning. As such, the next phase is to empower the Bumiputra human
capital leading towards matching qualifications and skills with the needs of
the market.

34. Towards this end, firstly, for youths with low academic
qualifications and skill levels, the government had increased skills boosting
programmes to provide a second chance so they would have more opportunities to
get employments.

35. In this aspect too, reskilling programmes are escalated.
Towards this end, additional allocations would be given to GiatMARA to procure
the latest high technology equipment to carry out training programmes.
Meanwhile, the number of training programmes handled by National Youth Skills
Institute would also be increased by adopting the two shifts approach.

36. Secondly, to the unemployed Bumiputra graduates, the
government will intensify training programmes to boost their marketability, to
suit the need of the industry. For this purpose, programmes such as 1Malaysia
Training Scheme, Graduate Employability Management Scheme and Skills Steering
Programme would be expanded to boost the number of beneficiaries.

37. Thirdly, to boost the number of highly qualified
individuals, the related agencies such as the Public Service Department and
MARA would expand Post Degree Education Programmes to meet the need of the
market especially in critical and high technology sectors.

38. Fourthly, in turning out more Bumiputra professionals,
Professional Leadership Programmes under the Bumiputera Education Steering
Foundation (YPPB) and similar programmes would be expanded. This will help them
obtain recognition as professional and accredited manpower, especially in
critical areas such as accountancy, specialist doctors, architecture,
engineering and actuarial science.

39. To date, the maximum limit for each individual in Amanah
Saham Bumiputera investment is RM200,000. As such, to encourage participation,
especially among the middle Bumiputra group in owning shares, I proudly
announce the Skim Amanah Saham Bumiputera 2 or ASB2 would be launched by
Permodalan Nasional Berhad with an injection of 10 billion units of shares.

40. Equinas, on its part, will be given the responsibility
of taking over the role of spearheading the Skim Jejak Jaya Bumiputera
programme. The programme would be transformed through management equity and
skill, to guide Bumiputra companies for listing on Bursa Malaysia.

41. Bumiputra are still lagging in non-financial asset
ownership such as houses, industrial premises and commercial complexes. For
example, in 2012, the transaction of residential homes recorded by the National
Property Information Centre, indicated only 36.3 percent of transactions of
residential homes involving Bumiputra with a value of almost RM18 billion or 26
percent.

42. From another angle, many non-financial assets such as
property among Muslim Bumiputra, which were not managed in an orderly manner or
neglected had caused the value of the assets to become low. As such, to
optimise the value and benefit of the assets, for starters, Malaysian Wakaf
Foundation would be spruced up and upgraded into a corporate entity.

43. The roles of property institutions such as Pelaburan
Hartanah Berhad, Majlis Amanah Rakyat and Perbadanan Usahawan Nasional Berhad
would be empowered to develop or obtain commercial and industrial property
especially at strategic locations nationwide.

44. In addition, the government is aware the capability of
the Bumiputra communities to own homes is low on top of the increasing prices
of houses. Towards empowering property ownership, to generate Bumiputra wealth,
the government through Syarikat Perumahan Rakyat 1Malaysia or PR1MA and
Syarikat Perumahan Negara Berhad with the cooperation of the state governments
would increase the number of affordable homes for Bumiputras nationwide.

45. Meanwhile, according to statistics, 58 percent of the 72
percent Malaysians staying in the urban areas are Bumiputra. But, the
government knows, the percentage of Bumiputera property ownership in town is
low. So, without government intervention to correct the situation, the Bumiputera
property ownership is becoming worse.

46. As such, the role of UDA Corporation would be
strengthened to help the development of property including homes, complexes and
trading spaces, industrial and commercial buildings in urban areas.

47. In connection with this too, I will direct GLCs and
GLICs which are involved in the property sector to stress on the development of
Bumiputra property especially housing, shoplots and commercial premises.Ladies and Gentlemen,

48. As we all know, commerce and entrepreneurship are the
most important activities to generate income and riches. However, the
participation of BumiputraS in such activities is low because of several
constraints faced including outdated production technology, lack of access to
funds and capital and limited markets.

49. In overcoming the issue of access to financing funds for
small and medium entrepreneurs, the roles of Bumiputra entrepreneur agencies
such as Amanah Ikhtiar Malaysia, TEKUN Nasional, MARA and PUNB would be
strengthened so that the number of Bumiputra entrepreneur recipients would
increase, including in Sabah and Sarawak.

50. In this regard, I am happy to announce, an additional
allocation of RM300 million for Amanah Ikhtiar Malaysia for five years. The number
of friends of Amanah Ikhtiar Malaysia, the majority of whom are women, is
targeted to rise from 350,000 people to 500,000 people in 2015.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

51. At this opportunity too, I announce an additional
allocation of RM700 million for TEKUN Nasional. The number of TEKUN
entrepreneurs is also expected to go up from 270,000 this year to 370,000 in
2015.

52. In response to the laments of entreprenuers who were
encountering problems of market access, I will direct all ministries and GLC to
strengthen their Bumiputra vendor development systems. The selection of vendors
must be based on merit among Bumiputras. In this manner, Bumiputra
entrepreneurs could be capable of becoming strong and progressive.

53. In line with this, I also want the vendor contract and
concession periods to be syncronised with the bank loan repayment periods so
their projects could run smoothly.

54. In connection with empowering the Vendor Development
Programme or VDP, Petronas must boost its VDP programme, to strengthen its
supply chain for the oil and gas sectors. The same goes for Tenaga Nasional in
the energy sector, Telekom Malaysia and AXIATA in the communication sector, UEM
in construction while Sime Darby and Felda Global Ventures for the plantation
sector.

55. With the empowerment of the Bumiputra economy too, I
want all Chief Executive Officers in GLCs to fix targets on the participation
of Bumiputra including acquisitions awarded to vendors. This should be included
in the Key Peformance Index for the Chief Executive Officers of the respective
companies.

56. In this regard, I am happy to share that in the oil and
gas sector between now and 2017, Petronas is implementing and will carry out
several main upstream and downstream projects. Through these projects, we have
worked out so that Bumiputra companies would benefit from contracts worth RM20
billion each year for upstream and downstream service work.

57. The shelf life of such facilities are usually about 25
years or more. It is estimated at least 22 critical work scopes would be
created to benefit Bumiputra companies.Ladies and Gentlemen,

58. To tackle the issue of supply chain, the government
through GLC and GLIC would develop a group of Bumiputra entrepreneurs who would
involve themselves in activities related to manufacturing and industrialisation
which have potentials and higher value-added. In this context, GLC and GLIC
would helm effort to create several Bumiputra consortiums in the sectors
involved.

59. The privatisation programme, generally, had succeeded in
becoming catalysts to create successful Bumiputra individuals and companies. As
such, to escalate the programme, the Private Public Cooperation Unit or UKAS
will take the initiative to identify selectively any viable government service
to be privatised to Bumiputra.

60.In a move to
ensure opportunities for Bumiputra companies to obtain contracts and in
preparation to compete in the future, the carve out policy would be expanded to
other big projects under the ministry, GLCs and GLICs. This policy was
successfully carried out in the MRT projects where 47 percent or nine billion
ringgit were awarded to Bumiputra companies selected on meritocracy.

61. For example, four additional projects which had been
identified to take part in the programme are Merdeka Heritage Tower Project,
Bukit Bintang City Centre, MATRADE Exhibition Centre and the Sungai Buluh
Rubber Research Institute Development programme.

62. In furtherance of the agenda, it is appropriate that we
build a New Bumiputra Entrepreneur Community that is resilient, competitive,
innovative and daring to take risks. They also must have a deep interest and
are passionate about participating in new knowledge-based fields such as
information technology, biotechnology and green technology.

63.Towards this aim,
a new and unique financing scheme named Bumiputra New Entrepreneurs Starting
Scheme or SUPERB would be introduced. The scheme is aimed at aiding start-up
companies. For this purpose, an allocation of RM100 million would be provided
in a three-year period.

64.SUPERB will
provide grants up to RM500,000 to creative and innovative new entrepreneurs in
strategic sectors which had big potentials in the future.

65.The selection of
Bumiputra entrepreneurs would be based on merit and would be done by a panel of
entrepreneurs who are already successful. Furthermore, new entrepreneurs who
were picked would also be mentored by those who were already successful.

Focus on the Fifth Empowerment: STRENGTHENING THE SERVICE
DELIVERY ECOSYSTEM

66. As I have mentioned, the government hears the
expressions of feelings emanating from the Bumiputra communities on their level
of participation in socioeconomic development programmes. As such, to ensure
the socioeconomic development of Bumiputra were effectively implemented, the
delivery system would be streamlined and compacted to create an efficient,
comprehensive and constructive ecosystem.

67. For this, Bumiputra Development Units or UPB would be
created in all ministries. The Bumiputra Development Unit is responsible for
formulating suggestions and implementing Bumiputra Agenda initiatives.

68. Appreciating the interest and struggles of Bumiputra, I
wish to quote seven wills by the Nine Malay Rulers when consenting to the
independence agreement to set up a federation.TRULY:

"We declare and we keep for you and we allow you to
declare and keep for your children and grandchildren, other than the mountains,
lakes and forest reserves,

Malay Reserve land up to a ratio of 50 percent, the rest
you, together with the other communities, may grab".Ladies and Gentlemen,

69. This will is very clear. It has stated the equity and
the ownership of the Malays and later expanded to Bumiputra, through the
unification of Sabah and Sarawak when Malaysia was set up 50 years ago.

70. Nevertheless, on
behalf of the Government and from the bottom of my heart, I would like to urge
all quarters, not to misconstrue the Bumiputera economic empowerment measures.
We will implement all these initiatives and strategies without trampling on the
interests of other groups or deny their rights.

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